BOSTON -- Access Advance LLC (“Advance”) announced the inaugural roster of licensees and licensors for its Video Distribution Patent (“VDP”) Pool, marking a significant milestone in the program's rapid market adoption since its January announcement. The participation of major global companies heavily involved in video codec technology demonstrates strong industry support for the comprehensive licensing solution covering HEVC, VVC, VP9, and AV1 codecs.

The VDP Pool has successfully attracted a group of licensees/licensors including ByteDance, Kuaishou, NTT Docomo, and Tencent. This represents the beginning of what Access Advance expects to be widespread adoption among content streaming providers seeking simplified codec licensing. The licensees’ participation provides immediate access to the wide-ranging patent portfolio while benefiting from the fixed tiered pricing structure designed to scale with business size.

“We're pleased to welcome ByteDance, Kuaishou, NTT Docomo and Tencent as our first VDP Pool licensees/licensors. Their commitment to the VDP program demonstrates the practical value of our one-stop-shop approach and the fact that the VDP program has successfully struck a balance between patent owners and implementers,” said Peter Moller, CEO of Access Advance. “This milestone shows that the VDP Pool is delivering on its promise to provide simplicity and predictability for online video distributors, allowing them to focus on innovation and content delivery rather than complex patent negotiations.”

The VDP Pool has also confirmed a large group of licensors representing a strong and substantial portfolio of standard essential patents for video codecs, positioning the pool to provide extensive intellectual property coverage for video streaming services. This initial group of patent owners includes the following internationally recognized technology leaders whose innovations are fundamental to modern video streaming infrastructure:

“The strong participation from major industry players and patent holders validates our approach and demonstrates that the VDP program is the preferred solution to the market's need for a unified licensing solution that balances the interest of patent owners and implementers,” Moller added. “These licensors bring not only essential patent portfolios but also the credibility and scale necessary to make the VDP Pool the preferred licensing destination for streaming video providers globally.”

The announcement comes as the industry increasingly seeks to license video codec patents directly to content streaming providers, who have benefited significantly from the use of patented, efficient video codecs. Access Advance's approach aims to provide broad access to patented technology while promoting continued innovation in video codec technologies.

Access Advance is in the process of finalizing agreements with several more licensors and licensees. More announcements will be made in the coming days and weeks. In addition, the VDP Pool rate structure has been posted to the Access Advance website (https://accessadvance.com/vdp-pool-royalty). The company encourages all internet video distributors and patent owners to learn more about the program, including available incentives and discounts, by contacting us at licensing@accessadvance.com.